351. Do all guitar companies make their own pickups?
Companies like Fender, Gibson and Rickenbacker have always made their own pickups for many of their instruments. During the 70s Fender used a company called Turbo-Jet to wind coils for Rhodes piano and humbucking bobbins. Most major guitar companies make their own pickups may use other pickups made from private manufacturers for custom pickups for custom or specific model instruments.
352. What are other OEM pickups used on other guitars?
Gretsch guitar company used the Dynosonic pickup made by DeArmond. Martin Guitar Company also used pickups made by DeArmond during the early days of building electric guitars. DeArmond made many pickups for Harmony and Silvertone guitars. Today many models from Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Schaller and several other models can be used on the various guitar companies building today.
353. Were pickups designed by employees of a guitar company?
Many of the pickups designed at Fender were designed by Leo Fender and I’m sure suggestions were issued by players and employees. The same goes for the many models designed at Gibson by Walt Fuller, Guy Hart and especially for Gibson’s most successful pickup designed by Seth E. Lover the “Patent Applied For” humbucker. Seth was very much into Amateur Radio and liked experimenting with inductors and transformers. At Seymour Duncan a custom pickup made for a client could eventually be made into a new model for a particular instrument. Another great independent designer by the name of Ray Butts designed the Gretsch Filtertron working along side Chet Atkins.
354. Can brass pole pieces be used?
Brass pole pieces are non-ferrous and do not conduct the magnetic field to the strings. I have used a row of brass screws to eliminate the magnetic field from one coil in a humbucker to make it act more like a single coil pickup. I’ve used dummy poles (brass screws) in a stereo pickup to make the pickup look traditional but having one string go to the left channel and the next string go to the right channel etc. I’ve had pickups sent to me for repair that have had the pole pieces changed accidentally with brass screws that cut down the magnetic field to the strings which eliminates output and fullness especially in humbucking pickups.
355. Can I use Stainless Steel pole pieces?
Most stainless steel rods cannot be used for pole pieces in guitar or bass pickups because they don’t conduct the needed magnetic field to the strings. When you buy screws for pole pieces or a source of directing the magnetic field to the strings, make sure you test to see that they are carbon steel. Brass or stainless steel poles usually don’t work the way you want. There are special stainless steels that can be used that have a high carbon content to conduct the magnetic field to the strings and will resist corrosion. Joe Barden makes great pickups for the Fender “Danny Gatton” model Telecaster and Joe uses two polished stainless steel blades with properties needed to conduct the magnetic field to the strings.
356. My pickup has 12 Allen screws, can another screw be used?
You can use various head styles in place of the 12 Allen screws. You need to use the same thread, shaft diameter, alloy (steel or ferrous) and length needed to fit properly. Some of the screw heads you can use are Fillister slotted, Fillister phillips, Socket set screw, Button head, Round head phillips etc. There are many head types that can be used and consult a screw distributor and ask for a catalog.
357. Pickup add-ons to distribute the magnetic field. What are they?
They are usually made from shim stock or thin gauges of steel fabricated to expand or enhance the magnetic field to the strings. Leo Fender used a ferrous metal claw around the pickup cover on the Jaguar and Bass VI guitar. The metal claw was used to concentrate and retain the magnetic field within close proximity to the coil. It would help enhance the output, brightness and clarity in each pickup. There are several after market products that attach to the pickup but have been known to cause the pickup to feedback uncontrollably. Fender also used a ferrous bottom plate on the lead pickup on Telecasters that acted as a means of grounding the strings and bridge plate and also enhanced the magnetic field towards the strings.
358. Screws for height adjustment. What are they normally made of and what problems can they cause?
Screws used for height adjustment are usually made of a ferrous material that is plated with nickel, chrome or gold. The height adjust screw used on instruments such as Fender Stratocasters, Telecasters, Gibson humbuckers etc. can attract the magnetic field from the pole pieces or bar magnet and can act like a pole piece. The height adjust screws on a Stratocaster can draw the magnetic field from the end pole pieces in the pickup. If the height adjust screws are loose, they can vibrate and cause feedback. Make sure the Fender style pickups have a rubber tubing for the height adjustment to keep the pickups firm within the pickguard or bridge plates. I often wrap rubberbands around the height adjust springs on humbuckers to help eliminate unwanted vibration or feedback from the height adjust screw and compression springs.
359. Springs for height adjustment. What are the problems?
If a compression spring is used for height adjustment there can be several problems associated with them. If the springs are loose especially when the pickups are adjusted lower as in the neck position on typical Stratocasters the springs can vibrate and cause a howling feedback. When playing at higher volumes or in close quarters with other instruments, various parts of the guitar can vibrate and produce unwanted sounds or uncontrollable feedback in your instrument. I’d replace all the compression springs with amber surgical tubing 1/4” OD x 1/8” ID x desired length. It will help keep the pickups firm within the pickup slots.
360. What are the different types of pickup selector switches?
There are many types of switches used for various guitars and models. The typical Centralab # 1452 lever switch is a 3-way switch used on the Fender Broadcaster, No-casters, Esquires, Telecasters and Stratocasters. Now the modern switches, such as the Mega-switch, Super-5-way, are being used to modify the wiring in standard instruments. Slide switches are used in instruments like the Fender Mustang, Jaguar and Jazzmaster. The toggle switch made by Switchcraft has been used for many decades in Gibson instruments such as the Les Paul Standard, ES-335 and many more models. With modification of the switch and combination with a rotor switch the instrument is the ES-345 or ES-355. A special lever switch is used on the Gibson “Switchmaster” and a combination of toggle, lever, slide and rotor switches are used on various models of the Les Paul Recording guitar. Various types of toggle switches have been used to modify the wiring in a humbucking pickup to get series, parallel, split, out-of-phase etc. with many other combinations when combined with other pickups in a circuit. Mini toggle switches have been used for various pickup selections. The variations of the mini-toggle are: on/on, on/off, on/on/on, on/off/on, DP/DT and SP/DT. Rotor switches are found in many PRS Guitars and Push button switches can be found on Fender’s Jeff Beck model guitar.
361. What are mounting rings used for?
Mounting rings are used for mounting the pickup and allowing height adjustment up or down for the desired pickup position. Mounting rings can be angled to fit the desired area from the neck to bridge position. With mounting rings, the pickup can be adjusted lower on one side and higher on the other. Usually the bass side is lower as the bottom strings can be fatter and louder sounding. Mounting rings are used to cover the routed cavity and to give an instrument a clean look. The majority of mounting rings have been injection molded out of black and cream plastics. Mounting rings used on Gibson Firebirds are stamped out of metal and plated either gold or nickel to enhance the appearance.
362. What are mounting rings?
A “bezel” or mounting ring as it is commonly called is a ring or surround that is used to mount the pickup for height adjustment. Mounting rings are very common in Gibson instruments and allow you to balance the output from neck, middle or bridge pickups. I usually adjust the pickups by first pressing the two outside strings at the last fret and adjusting the pickups as follows: The bridge pickup is adjusted 1/16” inch on both treble and bass side. The neck and middle pickups (if available), I adjust 1/16” inch on the treble side and 1/8” inch on the bass side.
363. What are rod pole pieces?
Rod pole pieces can either be Alnico rod magnets or cylindrical carbon steel studs cut to the desired length and diameter. Steel stud pole pieces are basically used to direct the magnetic field from a permanent magnet within the components of the pickup. Rod pole pieces are normally non-adjustable and their length and diameter can determine the output from each string. As the studs are magnetized their proximity to the strings makes the string become magnetized. Normally the closer the pickup the greater the output and farther away the pickup becomes softer with less output. Alnico rod pole pieces are very typical in Fender style pickups and depending on the model pickup, various grades, diameters and length can produce a wide variety of tones and output.
364. What are steel rod pole pieces?
Steel rod pole pieces are usually made from a high carbon steel alloy and can conduct magnetic fields easily to the strings. A high carbon steel is best suited for conducting the magnetic field to the strings. Steel with high carbon needs to be plated with chrome, nickel or gold plating to keep the parts from rusting. When manufacturing parts and the plating thickness needs to be taken into consideration not to make the OD of the parts out of spec where it might fit to tightly in the bobbin or flatwork. The stud or steel rod pole pieces are usually faced and have a slight chamfer before being cut off. This will also help when pressing the parts into a tight bobbin and the slight chamfer or radius on the corners helps when assembling parts in a bobbin.
365. What are the adjustable screws used for in humbuckers and single coil pickups?
Adjustable screws are used to adjust the balance from string to string. At times you may need to adjust the output on a particular string because it may lack the output for your picking or playing style. You may need to lower a pole to decrease the output on a particular string when the output is too loud. Depending on how much adjustment you have for a particular string, the adjustment is usually minimal with not much affect. The original humbuckers designed by Seth E. Lover was first drawn without a row of adjustable pole pieces. Gibson felt the new and improved humbucking design should have adjustable poles as a selling point because the single coil P-90’s had them. Many other pickup manufactures have designed pickups that incorporated adjustable screws for each string. DeArmond’s single coil “Dynosonic” pickup used on many Gretsch & Guild guitars used adjustable screws that would lift or lower a 1/4” inch Alnico rod magnet for desired string balance. The Gretsch Filtertron pickups designed by Ray Butts used 12- 6/40 fillister head, slotted, steel machine screws and the Hi-Lo Tron single coil pickups used a headless, slotted set screw.
366. What are the different steel bars used in pickups?
Steel bars used in pickups can act as a pole piece for a particular model pickup. The steel bars can be flat or radiused to the fingerboard or bridge radius. Some blades can be laminated with a number of thinner blades to help reduce eddy currents within the coil. The laminated blades and steel bars need to be properly potted in a material to help reduce or eliminate unwanted microphonic feedback. Steel bars can be machined to the desired shape and plated to eliminate rusting or oxidation from continuous wear and tear and exposure to moisture. Most bars are made from carbon steel that will conduct the magnetic field to the strings and special stainless steels with magnetic properties can be used without plating.
367. What are the different types of pole pieces used on guitar and bass pickups?
There are many types of screws with many head designs. Some typical screw types are round head slotted, round head phillips, pan head, button head, fillister head slotted, fillister head phillips, headless slotted set screw, hex socket set screw. There are many types of Alnico rod magnets with different diameters and lengths. Carbon steel studs, bars, blades and rectangular shapes. Alnico or ceramic bar magnets can be used as pole pieces along with many combinations of each. Seth E. Lover designed the Fender bass and guitar humbucker using a machinable and threadable Cunife rod magnet that was slotted on one end and plated.
368. What are the old waxed capacitors used on older Fender guitars?
I’ve often seen a waxed capacitor used on older Fender lap steels, electric guitars and basses made from a company called Cornell Dublier. They made many types of electrical components and Leo Fender used the CD capacitors on many of his instruments till they were no longer available. Leo commonly used a .05 mfd and a .1 mfd for his tone controls in Broadcasters, No-Casters, Telecasters, Esquires and Stratocasters. After the foil capacitor was made it was dipped in wax to keep moisture out and help eliminate the parts from absorbing moisture and changing value. Leo also used this approach when he designed his pickups. This was used to help eliminate moisture from being absorbed in the coil and vulcanized fibre flatwork.
369. What are the sizes of standard hardware used on pots, switches, pickguards etc?
Here are some standard parts used on various common instruments:
Gibson humbucking height adjust screw: 3-48 x 1 1/4” RH, MS, slotted.
Gibson mounting ring screw: Front-# 2 x 1/2” FH, phillips, WS, blue.
Gibson mounting ring screw: Back-# 2 x 3/4” FH, phillips, WS, blue.
Gibson humbucking pole piece: 5-40 x 3/4” Fillister head, MS, slotted.
Gibson Deluxe pole piece: 5-40 x 3/4” headless, slotted, MS.
Gibson potentiometer: 3/8” flat washer.
Gibson potentiometer: 3/8 x 32 hex nut.
Gibson pickguard and jack plate screws: # 3 x 1/2” OH, WS, phillips
Fender CTS & Centralab potentiometers: 3/8 x 32 hex nut.
Fender pickguard screws: # 4 x 1/2” OH, phillip, WS.
Fender Strat height adjust screw-older: 6/32 x 1/2” OH, MS, slotted, phillip.
Fender Strat height adjust screw-newer: 6/32 x 5/8” RH, MS, phillip.
Fender Lever switch screw: 6/32 x 1/2” OH & RH used on Strats & Telecasters.
Fender pickguard screws: # 4 x 1/2” OH, WS, phillips
Gretsch pole piece: 6/40 x 3/4” Fillister head, MS, slotted, used on Filtertrons.
Switchcraft Jack nuts: 3/8 x 32
370. What are the various screw used in popular guitars?
There are many types of screws used in popular instruments and it would take a dozen pages to list them all. Most guitar and bass companies use the same type hardware. Instruments can become hard to repair when you can’t find components that fit or are the same values. I wish instruments builders would try to use components that are standard and are easy to replace in time of need. There’s nothing worse than being on the road and unable to find the one little part to get your instrument playable again.
371. What are the various type of adjustable screws?
Some of the common head types are: Flat, Flat Undercut, Oval, Oval Undercut, Round, Fillister, Pan, Binding, Truss, Hex, Sems, Hex Washer, Socket Cap, Hex Cap, Elevator, Wood, Dowel, Stud, Slotted Set, Threaded Rod, Socket Set. The head of the screws can be: Socket, Hex, Slotted, One Way, Pozidrive, Phillips, Torx, Square. The most common thread types are American National Standard Machine Screws or Metric. Most screws are available in Steel (conduct’s the magnetic field), Brass (non-magnetic), Stainless Steel, Silicon Bronze and Nylon.
372. What is a bobbin?
A bobbin is a fabricated or molded form used to hold the coil in place. A bobbin can be made from paper, vulcanized fibre, molded nylons and other plastics or Phenolics. The bobbin can be held together by rod magnets similar to Fender style pickups. A bobbin can be round or rectangular upon magnet wire is wound to a desired number of turns. The bobbin supports and shapes the coil as it is wound on some type of winding machine. The bobbin can be wound Top Coming or Top Going depending on the particular electrical polarity needed for phasing the coils with others.
373. What is a potentiometer?
Most volume and tone controls used in electric guitars are carbon type potentiometers and are used to select a desired proportion of the total voltage across the potentiometer. The potentiometer is an electrical mechanical device having two contacts connected at each end of a resistive element. The third terminal is connected to a wiper contact for selecting the desired proportion of the voltage and to mechanically change the voltage or output from the guitar to the amplifier. Potentiometers can be Audio or Linear taper for the desired output or position of current at a particular point of contact on the component. 250 K Audio taper potentiometers are commonly used on Fender style electric guitars to compensate for the lower sensitivity of the human ear. 250 K Audio taper pots will cut higher frequencies than a 500 K Audio taper pot.
374. What is CD on some of the older Fender Capacitors?
The capacitors are two conducting surfaces separated by an insulating material or dielectric such as paper, air, mica, plastic, glass, film or oil. The capacitor stores electrical energy and permits the flow of alternating current to a degree dependent upon the capacitance and frequency.
375. What is phenolic and what is it made of?
Early Fender Broadcaster, No-Caster, Esquire and Telecaster pickguards were punched out of sheets of phenolic and lacquer finished to cover imperfections in the material. Phenolic is a Phenol Formaldehyde resin and is produced from Phenol (carbolic acid) with formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst. It can be molded or impregnated into sheets containing linen, fiberglass or paper to form various grades of phenolic. Phenolic sheets can be produced in various colors and sheet sizes. Phenolics are hard, rigid and quite brittle.
